I'm 19 years old, and if you want a failure, I've already racked up a wonderful resume!

I'm smart enough, but I graduated high-school by a thread. And I've dropped out of college. Currently, I'm working full time for a large company in downtown Minneapolis doing very basic computer work.

My Past Relationships

During high-school, I didn't date much... I had one long, strange involvement for about 8 months with an older girl that crashed, burned and left me for dead. Before that, I had a very short long-distance relationship that I put an end to once I decided I had to focus on my more immediate surroundings and was too young to build anything with someone so far away.

I've been in my current relationship for 8 months, and she's already 6 months pregnant with our daughter. I may not have done well in school – but boy have I been through learning experiences.

My Philosophy

I do believe a person can define a relationship any way they wish. They can be as exclusive or non-exclusive as they want to be in any form: mental, emotional, sexual, etc. Relationships are dynamic.

Personally, my ideal love relationship involves two people who have an idea of their goals and ideas for their own lives, and realize that their individual desires for life involve them being able to share their lives with each other. For two people to be able to share their lives in such a fashion, it has to involve a sincere respect and appreciation for each other. You have to genuinely love, respect and enjoy who the other person REALLY is and wish to support them and their life. And they must offer the same respect, love, and support in return.

So for me, the ideal mate is a person whose goals and attitudes about life are something that I can respect/admire, appreciate, understand, and support.

I also happen to be heterosexual, so such a mate, for me, must also be a woman – because I also would want a life mate to have exclusive sexual relations with – though I believe such exclusiveness is not necesary for good relationships, however it is a wonderful way to express devotion – but people seem to mistake it as the only way. If a person so chooses – they may seek out a relationship that is not sexually exclusive, and so long as their partner can truly respect such a life-style, I see no problems with it. Heck, two heterosexual people of the same gender could even choose each other as life mates and just look elsewhere for sexual pleasure. I've never known of such a relationship, but I don't see why one couldn't exist.

Basically, in my opinion, the only thing necessary to a lasting love relationship is GENUINE mutual respect, love and support. And people may choose their own unique ways to color in all the other aspects of the relationship like sexual exclusiveness, living together, perhaps working together, marriage, raising children together, etc. (which is wonderful, because this presents the relationship as a creative endeavor!)

How I'm Unique to the Panel

Put simply: 19-year old male, atheist, have been in college (but now in the work-force), father-to-be, had a long-distance relationship, a "high-school sweetheart", and am now about to move in with a girl I've been with for 8 months.

As you may have guessed, I have absolutely no religious affiliation. although I was raised to be a Catholic (so I still have a strong understaning of religious mind-sets).

I've also noticed the strong ratio of women over men [on the Panel] – and while it does look like you have at least one young woman – it seems that your few men are well over their teen years. So I'm still at the level of "discovery" about life and can relate closer to lots of the lost and confused high-schoolers that I see asking questions.

And, being a guy whose grown up with two very independent women (my mother and my sister), and a very typical father (his name is Joe, he's a sports-loving businessman with a wife and three kids and a nice house – I feel that I have a fair understanding of the "typical male" behavior and can provide a more in-depth insight.

I'm also about to be a young father – I believe that gives me a unique point of view on life. So I have some grasp of the trials of adults while I'm still experiencing lots of the confusion of growing up.

– Junior